Familiar Aliens

Familiar Aliens PDF Author: Mark Caldwell Walker
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1425905528
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 646

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Book Description
They are like us but they are differentnot in an incompatible way, but in ways that defy the assumptions humans in most world cultures take for granted. Their village technology and culture are almost aboriginal, but their language is intricate and efficient. The people of the planet Nenmar, on the other side of the galaxy from Earth, possess what many humans strive for: a deep self-assurance and corresponding acceptance of others. The offspring of a Nenmaran mother and human father, through a natural yearning to know their family history, find themselves immersed in the things of Earth. Of all their questions, the main one is what will happen when Nenmaran openness meets human xenophobia.

Familiar Aliens

Familiar Aliens PDF Author: Mark Caldwell Walker
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1425905528
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 646

Get Book Here

Book Description
They are like us but they are differentnot in an incompatible way, but in ways that defy the assumptions humans in most world cultures take for granted. Their village technology and culture are almost aboriginal, but their language is intricate and efficient. The people of the planet Nenmar, on the other side of the galaxy from Earth, possess what many humans strive for: a deep self-assurance and corresponding acceptance of others. The offspring of a Nenmaran mother and human father, through a natural yearning to know their family history, find themselves immersed in the things of Earth. Of all their questions, the main one is what will happen when Nenmaran openness meets human xenophobia.

Principles of Creature Design

Principles of Creature Design PDF Author: Terryl Whitlatch
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781624650215
Category : Anatomy, Artistic
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"Designing a captivating creature simply for it to exist against a white background and going no further is a purely academic exercise. Designing a creature that can survive in a world, interact with its own and other species, and go on to make an impact, is designing with intent. This is the end goal of creature design and what you will witness in this latest book from industry expert Terryl Whitlatch. With decades of experience in the entertainment industry, developing creatures for Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace and Beowulf, among other films, Whitlatch offers an abundance of valuable advice throughout the Principles of Creature Design. For Whitlatch, there's not limit to what can be imagined with an open mind, though the journey may not always be an easy one. It's what she calls "Chasing the unicorn." We will surely enjoy joining her on her journey, filled with creatures so vivid, whimsical, and elaborate that we will wish -- or wonder -- if they are real."--Back cover.

Aliens and Englishness in Elizabethan Drama

Aliens and Englishness in Elizabethan Drama PDF Author: Lloyd Edward Kermode
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521899532
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
Examines a variety of plays between 1550-1600 to demonstrate how they asserted ideas and ideals of 'Englishness' for audiences.

Aliens in Popular Culture

Aliens in Popular Culture PDF Author: Michael M. Levy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 144083833X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
An indispensable resource, this book provides wide coverage on aliens in fiction and popular culture. The wide impact that the imagined alien has had upon Western culture has not been surveyed before; in many cases the essays in Aliens in Popular Culture are the first written on the topic. The book is a compendium of short entries on notable uses of aliens in popular culture across different media and platforms by almost 90 researchers in the field. It covers science fiction from the late nineteenth century into the twenty-first century, including books, films, television, comics, games, and even advertisements. Individual essays point to the ways in which the imagined alien can be seen as a reflection of different fears and tensions within society, above all in the Anglo-American world. The book additionally provides an overview for context and suggestions for further reading. All varieties of readers will find it to be a comprehensive reference about the extra-terrestrial in popular culture.

Doing Animal Studies with Androids, Aliens, and Ghosts

Doing Animal Studies with Androids, Aliens, and Ghosts PDF Author: David P. Rando
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 135035614X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Exploring what can be learnt when literary critics in the field of animal studies temporarily direct attention away from representations of nonhuman animals in literature and towards liminal figures like androids, aliens and ghosts, this book examines the boundaries of humanness. Simultaneously, it encourages the reader both to see nonhuman animals afresh and to reimagine the terms of our relationships with them. Examining imaginative texts by writers such as Octavia Butler, Philip K. Dick, Kazuo Ishiguro, Jeanette Winterson and J. M. Coetzee, this book looks at depictions of androids that redefine traditional humanist qualities such as hope and uniqueness. It examines alien visions that unmask the racist and heteronormative roots of speciesism. And it unpacks examples of ghosts and spirits who offer posthumous visions of having-been-human that decenter anthropocentrism. In doing so, it leaves open the potential for better relationships and futures with nonhuman animals.

Aliens, Robots & Virtual Reality Idols in the Science Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov and William Gibson

Aliens, Robots & Virtual Reality Idols in the Science Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov and William Gibson PDF Author: John L. Steadman
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
ISBN: 1789045118
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
H. P. Lovecraft’s aliens are extra-terrestrial, terrestrial & trans-dimensional entities, totally unlike any other aliens in science fiction literature. In contrast, Isaac Asimov's and William Gibson’s aliens are human created positronic robots and virtual reality constructs, or 'idols'. Lovecraft’s great theme is alien indifferentism, tinged with a malevolence that escalates into an existential, apocalyptic threat against humankind, while for Asimov and Gibson, alien inclusionism is the norm. The robots and the VR idols integrate into society and their influence appears to be beneficial. But this is only on the surface. In this book, John L. Steadman demonstrates that there is ultimately little difference between alien indifferentism and alien inclusionism in the fictional works of these three great writers. For in fact, the robots and the VR idols evolve into monsters whose actions bring about outcomes which are every bit as terrifying as anything in Lovecraft’s work. Humans tend to be isolates ('alien'-ated). The reader is invited to question this, and to consider the possibility that an alien perspective, or platform, might, perhaps, be crucial if we intend on seeing ourselves clearly and understanding exactly what it means to be human.

Aliens

Aliens PDF Author: George Edgar Slusser
Publisher: SIU Press
ISBN: 9780809313754
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
How and when does there come to be an "an­thropology of the alien?” This set of essays, written for the eighth J. Lloyd Eaton Confer­ence on Fantasy and Science Fiction, is con­cerned with the significance of that question. "[Anthropology] is the science that must desig­nate the alien if it is to redefine a place for itself in the universe,” according to the Introduction. The idea of the alien is not new. In the Re­naissance, Montaigne’s purpose in describing an alien encounter was excorporation--man­kind was the "savage” because the artificial devices of nature controlled him. Shake­speare’s version of the alien encounter was in­corporation; his character of Caliban is brought to the artificial, political world of man and incor­porated into the body politic "The essays in this volume . . . show, in their general orientation, that the tribe of Shakespeare still, in literary studies at least, outnumbers that of Montaigne.” These essays show the interrelation of the excorporating pos­sibilities to the internal soundings of the alien encounter within the human mind and form. This book is divided into three parts: "Searchings: The Quest for the Alien” includes "The Aliens in Our Mind,” by Larry Niven; "Effing the Ineffable,” by Gregory Benford; "Border Patrols,” by Michael Beehler; "Alien Aliens,” by Pascal Ducommun; and "Metamorphoses of the Dragon,” by George E. Slusser. "Sightings: The Aliens among Us” includes "Discriminating among Friends,” by John Huntington; "Sex, Superman, Sociobiology,” by Joseph D. Miller; "Cowboys and Telepaths,” by Eric S. Rabkin; "Robots,” by Noel Perrin; "Aliens in the Supermarket,” by George R. Guffey; and "Aliens 'R’ U.S.,” by Zoe Sofia. "Soundings: Man as the Alien” includes "H. G. Wells’ Familiar Aliens,” by John R. Reed; "Inspiration and Possession,” by Clayton Koelb; "Cybernauts in Cyberspace,” by David Porush; "The Human Alien,” by Leighton Brett Cooke; "From Astarte to Barbie,” by Frank McConnell; and "An Indication of Monsters;” by Colin Greenland.

The Familiar, Volume 1

The Familiar, Volume 1 PDF Author: Mark Z. Danielewski
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0375714952
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 890

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Book Description
From the author of the international best seller House of Leaves and National Book Award–nominated Only Revolutions comes a monumental new novel as dazzling as it is riveting. The Familiar (Volume 1) ranges from Mexico to Southeast Asia, from Venice, Italy, to Venice, California, with nine lives hanging in the balance, each called upon to make a terrifying choice. They include a therapist-in-training grappling with daughters as demanding as her patients; an ambitious East L.A. gang member contracted for violence; two scientists in Marfa, Texas, on the run from an organization powerful beyond imagining; plus a recovering addict in Singapore summoned at midnight by a desperate billionaire; and a programmer near Silicon Beach whose game engine might unleash consequences far exceeding the entertainment he intends. At the very heart, though, is a twelve-year-old girl named Xanther who one rainy day in May sets out with her father to get a dog, only to end up trying to save a creature as fragile as it is dangerous . . . which will change not only her life and the lives of those she has yet to encounter, but this world, too—or at least the world we think we know and the future we take for granted. (With full-color illustrations throughout.) Like the print edition, this eBook contains a complex image-based layout. It is most readable on e-reading devices with larger screen sizes.

Aliens and Others

Aliens and Others PDF Author: Jenny Wolmark
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
ISBN: 9780877454472
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description


Alien Legacies

Alien Legacies PDF Author: Nathan Abrams
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197556027
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
The 1979 film Alien has left an indelible mark on popular culture. Directed by Ridley Scott, at the time known primarily for making advertisements, and starring then-unknown actor Sigourney Weaver in the lead role, it transcended its humble origins to shock and disturb audiences upon its initial release. Its success has led to three direct sequels, two prequels, one "mashup" franchise, a series of comic books, graphic novels, novelizations, games, and an enormous and devoted fanbase. For forty years, Alien and its progeny have animated debate and discussion among critics and academics from a wide variety of fields and methodological perspectives. This book brings together scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to explore Alien through a contemporary lens. The chapters here demonstrate the extent to which its effects and reception are deeply multifaceted, with the Alien franchise straddling the lines between "high" and "low" culture, playing with generic categories, crossing media boundaries, and animating theoretical, critical, and political debates. Chapters touch on female agency and motherhood, the influence of H.R. Giger, the viscerality of Alien's body horror, the narrative tradition of the Female Gothic, the patriarchal gaze in the Alien video games, and the rise of in-universe online marketing campaigns. In so doing, the volume aims to debate Alien's legacy, consider its current position within visual culture, and establish what the series means--and why it still matters--forty years since its birth.